Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-12-31
We looked up wopderingly, and she con-

IA *+fN hNfh't ~ - ~
Il philosopher, and skilled in the secrets OF
nature, and he IL was VINO discovered the
llre that | shall show ye, which Is nature :
n.ood and life, and also that he who bathed
therein aud breathed thereof should live
while Nature lives. But like unto thee,
OH. Holly, this man, Moot, would not turn
his knowledge to account. Ill, he said,
was ii for man TO live, for man was born
10 uic.' Therefore did he tell his secret to
none, and therefore dil he come and live
here. where the seeker after life must pass,
and was reYered OF the A~mahagger OF the
uay as holy, and IL hermit. Ana when first
! came 70 Ihls country tlou now
! came kallikrale>g Another time viii |
tell thee--it Is a strange lale-t heard of
TINS philosopher, and waited for MIN when
he came TO letcn his food. and returned
with him hitler, though greatly did | fear
10 tread the gull. Ihen uid | beGQlle HIM
with my btauIy ana my wit and fatter
nlm win my tongue, 50 thaL he !ed Inc
down and showed me the Fire. and told me
TIC secrets Of the Fire, Int he would not
suffer me 10 step therein, and, fearing lest
he should Slay me, | refraincd. know.ar
that the man was very old. and soon would
die. And ! returned. having learnt from
him all that he knew Of the wonderful
spirit of the World, and hat was much,
for The man was wise and very ancient,
and bv purity and abstinence. and the con-
tcmplatlonSO of his innocent mind, had worn
thin the veil between that which we see
and the great invisible truths. the whisper
Of whose wings NJ times we hear as they
sweep through the gross air Of the world.
Then il was but n yer" few days after |
met thee. my Kallikraces. who had won
dercd hither with the Egyptian Amenar-
tns. and l learned 10 love for the first and
last time, once and forever. SO that il en-
tered into my mind to come hithcr with
thee, and receive the gift Of Life for thee
and ne. Therefore came we, with that
Egyptian who would not he left behind.
and, behold, we found the old man Moot
Wing but newly dead. There he lay, and
his white beard lay on him like n garment"
amt she pointed TO a spot near where 1 was
sitting; but surely he hath long since
crumbled into dust. and the wind hath
borne his ashes hence.o
Here I put out my hand and felt - the
dust. and presently my fingers touched
something. IL was a single human tooth,
very yellow, bat sound. ! held il up and
showed 1t To Aycsha, who laughed.
YES" she said, lit is his without n
doubt. Behold what remaineth of Moot
and the wisdom Of Noot-one little tooth.
And yet that man had AL life at his ON
mand, and for his conscience sake would
have nQn of it.. Well. he Jay there newly
dead. and we descended whittier ! shall
lead We, and then. gathering up all my
courage, and counting death that | might
pcrch8nce win so glorious a crown OF life,
J stepped into the flames, and behold! life
snch as We can never know until We feel it
also flowed into me, and | came forth UNI
diving, and lovely beyond imagining. Then
did ] stretch out mine arms TO thee, Kali
krates, and bid thee take thine immortal
bride; and behold, as | spoke, thou. blinded
by my beauty, diGst turn from me, and
throw thine arms about the neck of Amen
artR5. And then Il great fury filled me,
made me mad, and | sel2ed the ~iayelin That
slA,1F lilgs Inar md Gf.llnI tl.np 81 thnf
there, at my very feet, in the place of Life,
thou didSt groan n go down into death.
] knew not then that ! had owe to Stay
with mine eyes and will, therefore in my
madness slew ! with the ~javelin.
And when thou vast dead, ah I wept,
because | was ~undyingand thou vast dead.
! Wept there in the place Of Life 80 that
had | been mortal any more my heart had
surely broken. And she, the swart Fyyp-
tian--She cursed me by her gods. BY Osiris
did she curse me and by Isis, by Nephthys
and by Hekt by Sckhet, the lion-headed,
and 10y Set, calling down evil on me. evil
and everlasting desolation. All! | can see
her dark face now lowering over me like 2
storm, but she could not hurt ne. and /
| | know not if ! could hurt her. | did not
try; il was naught to me then; SO between
Us we bore thee hence. And afterward
sent %her-the Egyptian-away through tn,
swRnps, and K seems that she lived 10 beal
. Il SON lIAN. w WIG ltl0 Ahit AA''Nh - 'N'NN
thee. her husband, back 10 me. her riva
and thy murderess.
such is the tale, my love, ard now il
the hour ut hand that shall set "A crown mp
on it. Like all things on the earth, IL i
compounded Of evil and Of g~ood-morc 81
cvil than OF good, perchancc-and writ IN
letters OF blood. Il is the truth: naugh
have / hidden from thee, Kallikrates. And
nOW one thing before the ina movement
OF the trial. We go down into the pres
cncc of Death, for Life and Death are very
! near together, and-whok knows that might
happen which should separate us for anoth-
or space of waiting. ! am bat a woman,
and 80 prophecies, and | cannot read the
future. But this | know-for ] learnt ii
from the lips IF the wise man Noot-that
my life is but prolonged and made more
bright. 1t cannot live for aye. Therefore
before we go, tel me, oh, kaliikrates. that
TT Il truth thou dost forgive me, and dost
love me from Thy heart. see, kalllkrates,
much evil have ! dOne-percnance it was
evil bat two nights gone Ia strike that girl
who loved thee cold in death-but she dis.
obcyed me and angercl me, proplesying
misfortune to me, and ! smote. Becagefui
when power comes 10 thee also lest thou
also shouldst snite in thine anger or thy
jealousy, for incOnqueIable strength is n
sore weapon in the hands OF erring man.
IcS, / have ~sinned-Out Of the bitterness
born of II great love have ! s~innCd-but yet
do | FnoW the good from the evil, nor is my
hCart altogether hardened. Thy love, oh,
kallIkrates, snail be the gate of my re,
demption, even as aforetime my passion
wa the path down which | ran 10 evil
For deep love un3atisticd is the hell Of no
ble hearts and a portion for the accused
! III love that ls mirrOred back more per
! igct from the soul OF our desired doth fash
ion wings to lit us above ourselves, ant
make US what we might he. Therefore
Hal.ihrateS, take me by the hand, and In
my veil with 40 more fear than though
were some peasant -irl, n not the Wis.s'
ana most Dt,iItcOuS woman IL thlS world
ANA look me in the eyes, and tell me TINT
and that with all thine heart thou dost
worship me"
She paused. and the strange tenderness
in her voice seemed 10 hover round us like
n memory | know that the sound of II
moved me more even Than her words. IL
was so very human-so very womanlY.
Leo. too. was strangely touched. Hitherto
nc had been fascinated a-aint his better
Judgment. something as bird is fascinated
by "a snake, but now | think that al this
passed awav. and he realized that he really
loved this strange and glorious creature,
rs. alas! ! loved her also. At nay rate,
cav his eyes fill with tears. n he stepped
swiftly 10 her and undid the gauZy veil,
and then took her BIZ the hand, and, gazing
into her deep eyes. said aloud:
"Ayesha, | love thee with all my heart,
and SO far ~ forgiveness Is possible | for
rive thee the death Of Tstane. For the
rest, ii is between thee and thy Maker: !
know naught Of it. ! only know that
- - IL ---l Ah-<